Brunswick basketball team out to build winning chemistry

Scott Ericson

Updated 11:06 pm, Tuesday, December 4, 2012

When Billy Murphy graduated last spring he literally and figuratively left big shoes to fill on the Brunswick basketball roster.

The 6-foot-9 forward who is now playing at Lafayette, was All-FAA twice and honorable mention Class A New England last season, scoring 926 points while grabbing 447 rebounds during his career. Whenever the Bruins needed a big basket, Murphy was their go-to guy.

Now that he is gone, the remaining Bruins will have to adjust to life without a superstar, something that seems daunting, but may just form them into a more cohesive unit.

"This year without Billy we have a new offense with more movement, looking for easier baskets, not so much one-on-one," senior co-captain Dylan Wadsworth said. "He's a great player and that's a big loss for us. No disrespect to Billy, but since we do not have that one true scorer, yet, we are looking to everyone right now."

Despite the loss of Murphy, the team returns several starters and could make a run at the FAA title if they gel with the newcomers.

The FAA has become a tough conference top to bottom and the New England Prep school often turns out NCAA Division I talent, but head coach Robert Taylor thinks his team can compete if they adjust to a new style of play.

"We are shorter, we're quicker and we have a lot of points and rebounds to find and guys are going to have to step up," he said. "Our schedule is tougher, we play many more boarding schools this year and the FAA is as tough as it has ever been. Nothing is going to be easy. My goal is for us to be a much better team at the end of the season than we are now."

The Bruins got a taste of the tough New England schedule, falling to Hotchkiss 77-53 on Saturday.

Hotchkiss has two top flight recruits on the roster and the Bruins could not hold them in check.

AT THE HELM: Taylor is back for his second season leading the Bruins.

WHO'S GONE: Along with Murphy, the Bruins said goodbye to 6-9 Bradley Seaton and forwards Devin Mehra and Donquate Robinson.

Also back are guards Sam Fraser and Ryan Hardin as well as Billy's younger brother, 6-7 junior Teddy Murphy, who came off the bench last year but expects to see plenty of time after bulking up in the off season.

"We are not going to be a novice team, we will have some talent out there," Robert Taylor said. "We have four kids that got a lot of playing time last year that will be very important for us."

WATCH OUT FOR: How the Bruins adjust to a new style of play and how they mesh as a team.

"It is definitely a different game this year," Pierce said. "We lost a couple of big guys but as a unit we are doing a great job developing these first couple weeks. We are not going to be able to rely on a couple key players, we will need to work with all five guys on the floor and that's going to mean a lot of subbing and we will need the younger guys."

STRENGTHS: The Bruins sport a lineup full of good athletes, which could help create turnovers and baskets in transition.

WEAKNESSES: When the transition game is not there the Bruins will need to find a way to score in a half-court set, meaning Brunswick is going to have to find someone who can connect from the perimeter in order to open up the low post.

SHOWDOWNS: Brunswick is at Greens Farms Academy Saturday and hosts King Dec. 12, two of the top FAA schools. They then host St. Luke's Jan. 11 and Rye Country Day on Jan. 28.